Central Alaska

Denali National Park from the park road

In late April and early May, Allison and I spent four weeks traveling through Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.  This post describes the first portion of the trip: central Alaska, including Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali National Park.  Our travels elsewhere in Alaska, and in Washington and Oregon, will be covered in separate posts.

Downtown Anchorage

Anchorage is a strategic crossroads for many international air routes

Following a late night arrival in Anchorage, we spent a day exploring the city.  Anchorage is in a dramatic setting, surrounded by mountains of the Chugach Range which were dressed in a thick white coat of snow.  The area was experiencing a bout of unusually cold spring weather, and scattered snowflakes fell as we explored the downtown stores and restaurants and the shoreline of Cook Inlet.  In addition to sightseeing we also stocked up for our upcoming travels, buying a cooler and some simple staples.
 

Denali from the Parks Highway

Mounts Hunter, Foraker and McKinley (Denali) in Denali National Park

After a day in Anchorage we began our drive north toward Denali National Park and, ultimately, Fairbanks.  We passed through Wasilla, an exurb of Anchorage perhaps best known for its former mayor: Sarah Palin.  Continuing north on the Parks Highway, we gradually left civilization behind and entered a beautiful region of wild snowy mountains and vast expanses of wintry taiga and tundra.  As we reached Denali National Park the forest thinned, and we enjoyed distant views of Denali (America's highest peak, also known as Mount McKinley) and other impressive peaks of the Alaska Range.

Entrance to the Denali Park Road



Panoramic view from the Denali Park Road



A chilly picnic spot on the Denali Park Road

Eventually we reached the Denali Park Road, off the Parks Highway between the tiny towns of Cantwell and Healy.  We were there early in the season, and due to late snow the road was only partially cleared and there were very few other visitors.  It was a special treat to drive through the huge park's dramatic scenery in near total solitude, at times the only humans in many square miles of remote wilderness.


Moose north of Fairbanks

Bald Eagle in the Chena River State Recreation Area

After our drive on the park road, we spent a night in Healy then continued north to Fairbanks.  Fairbanks is America's northernmost city, Alaska's second largest city and home to the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System.  We toured the campus, including its modern and impressive Museum of the North where I found a wonderful addition to my small collection of indigenous figures.

On the Angel Creek Trail

Approaching the Lower Angel Creek Cabin

 The Lower Angel Creek Cabin
(click here for video courtesy of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources)

Our exploration of Fairbanks and its surroundings took us to the northernmost reach of our journey, at Lower Angel Creek Cabin in the Chena River State Recreation Area.  On the road to the Angel Creek Trailhead we saw wildlife including a bald eagle and two moose.  Allison and I hiked for several miles over snow covered trail to reach the remote public use cabin, where we spent some time absorbing the sense of wilderness emerging from winter.  On another outing north of Fairbanks, we saw a section of the Alyeska oil pipeline and some unusual back woods structures!

The Alyeska oil pipeline north of Fairbanks

Someone's little piece of heaven?

After two nights in Fairbanks we headed back south to Talkeetna, an important doorway into Denali National Park.  Each summer, many mountain climbers fly from Talkeetna into the Alaska Range for expeditions on Denali and other peaks.  It was from Talkeetna that I began my own climb on Denali in 2003.  Allison and I explored the small town on foot, visiting attractions such as the climber's memorial, riverfront and National Park Service Ranger Station.  We also visited K2 Aviation at the Talkeetna Airport to make arrangements for flightseeing the next day.  At the airport we saw a variety of ski and bush planes used to service Alaska's interior.



The Susitna River in Talkeetna; Mounts Hunter, Foraker and McKinley (Denali) in background

The Fairview Inn in Talkeetna

Our flightseeing trip the next morning was a highlight of our trip.  Piloted by Captain Greg in a small DeHavilland Beaver ski plane, we flew over the mountains and glaciers of the Alaska Range for two hours.  Our flight first took us from Talkeetna to the Kahiltna Glacier, where we followed the most popular climbing route up the glacier toward Denali's summit.  We then crossed Kahiltna Pass and the Muldrow Glacier.


Mount Hunter and the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier,
site of Denali Base Camp

Portions of Denali's West Buttress Route including Kahiltna Pass, Motorcycle Hill and Windy Corner

Captain Greg flew us close by spectacular peaks such as the Moose's Tooth, then brought us in for a ski landing on the Ruth Glacier.  We spent about 15 minutes at a climber's base camp on the glacier, snapping pictures in beautiful, clear but cold weather.  After watching another ski plane land to discharge climbers and gear, we took off again to fly out over the glacier and back into civilization.

With Captain Greg on the Ruth Glacier

Our K2 Aviation DeHavilland Beaver on the Ruth Glacier 

Excited from our wonderful flight over Denali National Park, Allison and I drove south from Talkeetna to Anchorage.  There, we spent a relaxing evening walking through the downtown and preparing for the next stage of our trip: Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, south of Anchorage between Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound.  
 

On the shore of Cook Inlet in Anchorage